Print-bar mechanism



April 19,192?) 1,624,956

W. W. LASKER PRINT BAR MECHANISM Filed March '7. 1925 I (5 I ;r 25 A? 7% 5 0! INE-3-3. F/6,2.

gin Denim William M Lam er.

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Patented Apr. 19, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.-

WILLIAM. W. LASKER, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIG NO-R TO POWERS ACCOUNTING MACHINE CORFORATION, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.,v A CORPOBATION OF DELAWARE.

PRINT-BAR MECHANISM.

Application filed March 7, 1925.

The present invention relates to printing mechanism, such for example as operate by the setting up of type through the medium of perforated cards as in printing tabulating machines, and relate more specifically to an automatic locking control for the latches of the type sector units. As illustrative of the mechanism to which the invention relates, reference may be had to U. S. Letters Patent No. 1,274,528, granted August 6, 1918, wherein a sector construction is described and from which the general operation of the present sector construction will be understood and to which the present invention is ap lied.

home of the objects of the present invention are to provide means for automatically actuating'a latch to locl: a type or print sector to its auxiliary or control sector; to provide a positive locking means for type locating sectors to provide a locking device for sector latches which does not interfere with the release of such latch or latches at the proper time; to provide means operative to cause a rel-oclzing of sector units after a setting operation; and to provide other improvements as will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 represents a side elevation of a printing sector unit of a tabula-ting machine provided with an automatic latch lock device embodying one form of the present invention; Fig.v 2 represents a detail of the latch and its adjuncts; Fig. 3 represents a section on line of Fig; 2;. and Fig. 1 represents a side elevation of the latch mechanism engaged by the locking device.

Referring to the drawings, one form of the present invention is shown as applied to the automatic control of alatch 10 employed toconnect a printing sector 11 to a selecting orposition control sector 12 in a tabulating printing machine; That the operation may be clear to those skilled in the art without reference to the aforesaid patent, it may be, said that the printing sector 11 is of the usual arcuate form carrying a plurality of type 13 which are radially and slid'ably mounted upon the sector so that when a selected type has been brought to operative position adjacent the platen 14' it can be actuated by the release of a printing hammer 15. The sector 11 is usually provided with alphabetical type and the number of such type exceeds the number of control devices Serial No. 13,814.

or steps 16 by which the sector is positioned tl'i-rough the control sector 12. Hence in order to select any one of the type it has been found expedient to divide them into two groups, and as there are usually twelve control stops, one group of twelve type will be directly controlled by individual stops 16 corresponding respectively to the type, while the other group of type will be controlled by predetermined combinations of the stops 16. Th stops 16 are arranged below and in the plane-of the control" sector 12 and when released to set position are in the path of move ment of a heel lug 17 on the sector 12. The sectors 11 and 12 are fulcrumed on a shaft 18 and are respectively under the control of springs 20 and 21 for bringing them to operative position, and for returning them are under the control of a restoring bar 22 connected to a pivoted restoring frame 23, and a restoring frame link 24 which is camcontrolled from the main shaft 25. I sector 11 has a lost motion connection with the control or selector sector 12 through a pin 26' fixed to and projecting laterally from the sector 11 to ride in a slot 27' provided in the control sector 12. This construction permits the print sector 11 to move relative to the control sector 12 and thus assume a new initial position in order that the second group of type can be selected. It will therefore be evident, for the selection of type of one group of type, that the two sectors move together through the same are until brought to rest against a set stop, while for the selection of typeof the other group of type the print sector 11 is automatically released and moves through a greater are than the selecting sector 12. i

For connecting the two sectors to-move together the latch 10 is provided, being pivoted to the sector 12 at 30 and having its free end formed as a reversel y turned hook 31 which provides a recess 32'to receive a pin or keeper 33 on the side of the print sector 11, and the spring tension of the sector 11 normally holds the keeper 33 against the hook The print 31 so that if the latch is released the sector I the provision of a release finger which when actuated engages a part 36 of the latch and imparts suflicient movement thereto as to lift the hook 31 out of the path of the keeper The finger 35 is arranged to be brought to latch engaging position by a perforated card in control such as well known in the art. iior example, whenever a type of the second group is to be setfor printing the card may be punched at two places in the column, one of which causes the release finger 35 to operate, and the other causes the sector 12 to take the desired selecting posi. tion. The latch 10 is properly guided and maintained in position by a stud 87 fixed to the sector 12 projecting through a guide and stop slot 38 in the latch. I

In order to lift the latch it) so that it again locks the sectors together after a type selecting operation, the nose of the hook 31 has a bottom face 40 upwardly inclined from the entrance to the recess 25:3, and, in released position of the sectors, is arranged to be in the path of movement of the keeper 3, so that the latter under the restoring movement of the sector 11 will lift the latch 10 and automatically enter the recess 82. It is very necessary that the two sectors be positively relocked after each selecting operation as otherwise a type of the wrong group will be selected by the card. and it has been found in practice that many errors in the printing of tabulated data occur through the failure of the latching means to function at the end of a selecting operation.

For the purpose of overcoming this difficulty and reducing the errors of such ma- :hines to a minimun'i, a positive, automatic rciatching mechanism has been devised of which the following is one embodiment. The upper face ii of the nose of the hook 31 is inclined downwardly and is located in the path of movement of a trip 42 formed on the. pin 26 and traveling with it, so that should the latch 10 fail to spring down to engagcthe keeper 33, after the latter has raised the latch and passed into the entrance to the recess 82, then the trip 42 will engage the face tl and cause a positive return to its locking position. By this construction it is impossible for the two sectors to remain unlocked and consequently there is always the assurance that the type called for by the card perforation will be set and printed.

It will now be apparent that a simple and complete unitary locking device for printing tabulator sectors has been provided wherein the number of additional parts is a minimum while their functioning is positive and ac curate.

i Vhile only a single form is shown in which this invention may be embodied, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to any specific construction, but

might be applied to various forms without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

i. In a mechanism of'the character stated, the combination of a type sector, a control or selecting sector therefor, means for actuating said sectors, a latching device for connecting said sectors together, a mechanism for releasing said latching device under certain conditions, and means operat ed by said type sector for automatically relocking said latching device.

2. In a mechanism of the character stated,

the combination of a type sector, a control or selecting sector therefor, means for actuating said sectors, a latching device for connecting said sectors together, a mechanism for releasing said latching device under certain conditions, and means operated by said type sector for engaging said latching device to positively restore it to locking position.

3. In a mechanism of the character stated, the combination of a type sector, a control or selecting sector therefor, means for actuating said sectors to set predetermined type, a latch pivoted to one of said sectors, a keeper secured to the other of said sectors, spring means for holding said latch in engagement with said keeper, and means operated by said type sector for restoring said latch to locking engagement with said keeper after ithas been released therefrom.

i. In a mechanism of the character stated, the combination of a type sector, a control or selecting sector therefor, means for actuating said sectors to set predetermined type, a latch pivoted to one of said sectors, a keeper secured to the other of said sectors, spring means for holding said latch in en gagement with said keeper, means operative in released position of said latch for engag ing said keeper to move said latch against the tension of said spring means, and means effective under relative movement of said sectors for engaging said latch to restore it to locking engagement with said keeper.

5. In a mechanism of the character stated, the combination of a type sector, a control or selecting sector therefor, means for actuating said sectors to set predetermined type, a latch pivoted to one of said sectors, a keeper secured to the other of said sectors, spring means for holding said latch in engagement with said keeper, a cam operative in released position of said latch for engaging said keeper to move said latch against the tension of said spring means, and means effective under relative movement of said sectors for engaging said latch to restore it to locking engagement with said keeper.

6. In a mechanism of the character stated,

the combination of a type sector, a control or selecting sector therefor, means for actuating said sectors to set predetermined type, a latch pivoted to one of said sectors, a keeper secured to the other 01": said sectors, spring means for holding said latch in engagement with said keeper, means operative in released position of said latch for engaging said keeper to move said latch against the tension of said spring means, and means 1 including an inclined face on said latch for restoring said latch to locking engagement with said keeper.

Signed at Philadelphia, county of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, this 2nd 15 day of March, 1925.

WILLIAM WV. LASKER, 

